Play of Consciousness : Chitshakti Vilas

This book is about the experience of meditation through yoga. I read this book when I was 13 and some of the concepts were a little advanced for me at that time. Nonetheless, this book helped me to understand some experiences I had with meditation when I was young. I was raised with Siddha Yoga. Growing up, there was no place I felt safer than I did at the Siddha Yoga Ashram. For me it has been and always will be home. My spiritual journey extends beyond the confines of Siddha Yoga, but my spiritual awareness and love for God was nurtured and developed through Baba and Gurumayi's teachings, guidance, and love. I use their teachings daily. There is concern with truth or falsity of the Guru only when the seeker is looking for someone to worship rather than for a path of growth and spiritual development. I have learned a lot from people who weren't "Gurus". The word guru means to bring from darkness "gu" into light "ru". In this sense, we are surrounded by gurus all the time. All we have to do is seek them out, and they appear. It is Baba and Gurumayi who have taught me to search for the diamonds within the coals. When I am not in the right state of mind, I remember this simple teaching, and then I am surrounded by diamonds instead of black coals. In reading this book, find the diamonds and pearls in Baba's words and take them with you. Then you will feel rich and you will not be disappointed. I would also like to add that Siddha Yoga is not for everyone. The teaching of Siddha Yoga is that "God dwells within you as you". The teaching of Siddha Yoga is NOT "The Guru is your God". I have never heard Gurumayi suggest we be dependent solely on the Guru. I have on the other hand heard Gurumayi say that the Light of God dwells within us. A teacher deserves respect - whatever, or whomever that teacher may be. Yoga will reflect your state of mind, and it is not always easy or comforting to see our own reflection. But seeing is necessary for growth. Co-dependency and obsessive behaviors may surface for some, but it is not the fault of Siddha Yoga, and should be taken up with a therapist.

So many of us yearn to know God, to know the Truth, to know our own Self. Yet, the way is often concealed or murky. What would we give to actually experience it? What would we give to know what to expect on the journey to the Self? Play of Consciousness is an extraordinary book. Each time I read this book, I am drawn into a deep state of meditation and experience my own inner perfection. Again and again, Play of Consciousness gives me courage to move forward in my own spiritual journey. Such is the greatness of Swami Muktananda. Not only did he live established in his own perfection, but through every word, every action, every thought, he imparted his attainment to all and encouraged us to keep progressing. Those receptive to the grace and love contained in this masterpiece, will surely experience their own true greatness and perfect love. What a blessing to humanity it is to have a detailed account of the spiritual journey and divine attainment of this extraordinary Siddha, or perfected being.

In Play Of Consciousness: A Spiritual Autobiography, Swami Muktananda vividly and candidly describes his spiritual initiation which awakened the hidden power known as Kundalini Shakti and the astonishing process of inner transformation that followed. Muktananda reveals many mysteries describing the rigors of spiritual practice and the mystical, metaphysical alchemy of the awakened Kundalini. He offers inspiration for all those seeking the ultimate personal and metaphysical freedom that is spiritual enlightenment. Play Of Consciousness is recommended reading for students of eastern philosophies, yoga, metaphysical studies, and personal spiritual enlightenment.

I first read this book in the `70's. It knocked my socks off. I recently recommended it to someone and thought, "Hmm. Maybe I should read it again." It blew my socks off again. Play of Consciousness is the spiritual autobiography of Sw. Muktananda, an Indian meditation master who died in 1982. In POC, he breaks Hindu tradition by talking about his experiences. He does this for one reason: To serve and guide his students. This is a handbook for meditators, in many ways a survival manual. Muktananda had many of the experiences recounted here -- some of which were terrifying-- without knowing what they were. Here, he lets his students know what to expect in advanced meditation. The book is written in sections. The book opens with a tightly written and comprehensive guide to Hinduism and kundalini yoga. Muktananda lays out the turf-- quoting many major Indian saints and scriptures. This alone is worth buying. The second part describes his spiritual experiences, his sadhana. If you ever thought that meditation was a passive, dopey thing popularized in California, this will change your mind. Muktananda's experiences were big. Explosive. Gorgeous. They read like sci-fi, but you have the sense of their utter authenticity. The final section explains what Muktananda wants from his students. How he sees the universe, and how a good yogi/yogini should live. This is a masterpiece in mystical writing. POC is not an easy read. First, it may induce culture shock. This is not a Western book. It was translated from Hindi or one of the Indian languages and written by an older man, a Hindu monk. The language sounds it-- flowery, exquisite, complex, and somewhat antiquated. Muktananda talks about gurus and disciples. The word "guru" has been maligned in the West. For thousands of years, Indian people have had gurus the way that we have accountants. "Guru" means "teacher", with the root meaning, "bringer of light, taker of darkness." The guru's function. POC is a hard read for another reason: Muktananda's experience roars through it. If you do not know what devotion and love are by the end of this book, there's no hope. His energy permeates POC. You may find yourself nodding off or falling into meditation. You may only be able to read a page to two at a time. That's fine. Just keep reading.

Orginally published and edited undr the title GURU in the 1970's , this work must be on any seeker into Eastern wisdom. this work plus Autoboigraphy of a Yogi, and the Gita are must reads. We are given a detailed look inot the world of Kashmir Shaivism and the potential of that mysterous force barely known to psycholiogists called Kundalini. The only danger in the presentation is that it may casue the reader to seek out a teacher to place full dependency upon and we have learned well from the past thirty years that this can be a great error as most teachers are subjected to human flaws such as rock star syndrome READ THIS BOOK